THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CHRISTIANS

Have you notice that some believers are truly devoted followers of Christ and others seem to be very shallow and not totally committed? Some Christians live no differently than unbelievers. Others serve in the church but outside the church, they have little witness as a Christian. Christ describes different types of Christians.

Mark 4:14 – 20 – “The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Jesus is the farmer and anyone who comes after, who teaches the Word of God. The seed is the Word of God. The path was a hard surface. Some are impressed by the Word and emotionally accept Christ and the Word. However, as soon as they hear it, Satan deceives them into believing that they really don’t need surrendering their self-centeredness. Their stability and commitment was stolen. They were unwilling to make a commitment and continue to live as they always have. They spent no time in prayer and Bible study.

Some seed was placed on rocky soil. There was enough soil to grow but they had no roots or depth. They were like a tree with no roots in a strong wind. Temporarily they may have been enthused but the world easily leads them away. They decide not to believe in Scripture and its promises and they fall away. James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Still others are like a seed that is sown among thistles and thorns. These people hear and accept the Word and it begins to grow. Thorns and thistles stand for the world’s distractions such as the deceitfulness of riches, material things and the lusts for other things. This seed was choked out. They allow their security to come from the world and not from God. They have a tendency to believe they can become prosperous or meet their needs without anyone’s help. They believe the Word but they just never get around to living it. They lacked the discipline and the tenaciousness to stick to it.

The final illustration is the seed that is sown in good soil. We may be amazed at how few Christians are in this category. They hear the Word and become committed and accepting. They are true Disciples of Christ who surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They accept Christ and the Holy Spirit into their spirit. It is not an emotional response but a spiritual one. They see the value and change in their life and want to witness to others, so they too may receive the promises of God. These believers produce a crop. These believers not only hear with their ears but with their hearts and minds.

These are people who learn to trust God. Proverbs 3:5 – 6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

This may be the hardest task, particularly for new Christians. It may be easy to believe in God. However, it is difficult to believe God wants what is best for us. Do you believe that God is working His plan in our lives? What about when we are faced with problems and trials? Trusting God must be completely and irrevocable. Most of us have the problem that if our prayers do not get answered immediately and the way we think they should be, we act on our own, not trusting God to fulfill what we need. Remember Abraham and Sarah was promised a child. When it didn’t happen, they made a plan to have a child by Hagar. As a result, Abraham and Hagar had Ishmael, whose descendants have been enemies of Israel ever since. When Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90, they received the son that God had promised, Isaac. It takes a Christian who is planted in good soil to trust God.